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Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 1st, 2019, 11:14 pm
by moorfield
I want to set myself a target of cycling 100 miles, at an average speed of at least 15 mph (flattish route on a non-windy day), to be attempted at some point in March/April 2020. My starting point is two 60+ mile rides done this summer at 14.2 mph (not including a few rest stops).

Can anyone point me to any useful winter training plans? Ideally this would be done on an indoor exercise bike during the week, with outdoor ride on weekends (weather, temperature, and taxi driving duties permitting).

Thanks
M

Re: Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 2nd, 2019, 2:02 am
by UncleEbenezer
Can't help with a plan, but ...

First, do you need one? If you're aged under about 40 and in decent health, you should be able to launch straight into it (I've known a few folks who could do it in their 80s and even 90s, but they had kept it up all their lives).

If you want to get some practice runs in, why not seek out whatever club(s) you have locally and start going on club rides? Find one catering to leisure cyclists (as opposed to competitive ones) and see what they organise. Once upon a time I used to go regularly on CTC sunday rides: very congenial, see some nice places, stop off at a pub or cafe for lunch.

Re: Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 3rd, 2019, 11:20 pm
by didds
Multiple hits on google, picked this one at random.

https://www.bicycling.com/training/a200 ... a-century/

the steady and speed coud be done on an indoor bike Im sure. based on what I used to do a decade ago with doing long distance triathlon though, when I used a turbo trainer, its really imperative to make the resistance on the indoor bike realistic compared to the road . I always found road work much harder than static work UNLESS the static workouts were very very specific sessions based on over and under gearing etc

didds

Re: Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 3rd, 2019, 11:26 pm
by didds
all Id add is the minimum speed requirement may or may not be conceivable deepening on your physiology. If speed was solely about do X hours work doing activity Q etc then everybody could just get faster and faster for ever. Your body has a limit it is capable of (also given the equation of distance etc). Not that 15 mph is necessarily outside of the realms of possibility of course but unless 15 mph represents a cut off time to complete by, aiming for 15 mph wont be the real initial target I'd suggest. And even if if the cut off time is defining that 15mph, you still need to be able to cycle 100 miles primarily before becoming concerned with speed. My thoughts are tempered however with the caveat that as a plodder of a runner this is my approach - ie get the distance sorted before the speed.

didds

Re: Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 4th, 2019, 2:02 am
by HarryCat
I’m in my 50s and trained for a ride over the Andes last year almost entirely on a smart turbo trainer (Tacx Neo) with TrainerRoad. With TrainerRoad your test your fitness level every few weeks and seeing your numbers go up helps keep you motivated. TrainerRoad will also help you with things like cadence and pedal stroke. I learnt a huge amount from the community around TR as well - nutrition, hydration, rest days/weeks and so on.
Harry.

Re: Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 16th, 2019, 11:36 pm
by moorfield
I should clarify I have signed up for a 24 hour London to Paris ride next May. :o The average speed is a finger in the air to aim for. Not a lot of cycling done being done at the moment now the nights are dark and the weekends are full of autumn term taxi driving.

Re: Training Plan, 100 miles?

Posted: November 17th, 2019, 9:03 am
by deadeyedjacks
Hi,
Firstly get yourself a professional bikefit, 100 miles on a bike which isn't optimal for you could be painful...

Secondly, get some experience in riding in groups, I'm assuming your trip won't be a solo effort?

Thirdly, get on a turbo trainer throughout winter and build up the miles in those legs.

Best of luck !